The Oso, Washington mudslide

( Updated: 04/30/2014 )

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President Obama hugs Barbara Tolbert, mayor of Arlington, Wash., as he visits the Oso Fire Station April 22, where he spoke with rescuers near the scene of last month's deadly Oso mudslide. Joshua Trujillo/seattlepi.com/AP

Casey Larsen waits for President Obama's motorcade to arrive. Obama visited the Washington State community of Oso on April 22, offering condolences to the families of victims, encouragement to rescue workers, and promises of government support. David Ryder/Reuters

Ben Woodward looks up April 21, 2014, at a sign commemorating the moment of the Oso, Wash., mudslide. The wooden memorial is attached to a towering spruce tree, one of the few in the debris field left standing. April 22 marks one month since the huge slide that swallowed homes and killed at least 41 people. Two are still on the missing persons list. Joshua Trujillo/seattlepi.com/AP

Darrington Fire District 24 volunteer firefighters Jeff McClelland (l.), Jan McClelland (c.), and Eric Finzimer embrace one another March 26, 2014, in Darrington, Wash., after saying a prayer for the victims and survivors of the massive mudslide. They were among the first responders to the mudslide that occurred four days earlier. Marcus Yam/The Seattle Times/AP

This combination of images provided by NASA shows the Oso, Wash., area on Jan. 18, 2014 (l.) and on March 23, 2014 (r.) after a March 22 landslide sent muddy debris spilling across the north fork of the Stillaguamish River. The debris engulfed numerous homes, resulting in the deaths of at least 41 people. NASA/AP

A bouquet of flowers left for victims sits perched on the seat of an abandoned vehicle, March 24, 2014, amid the wreckage of homes destroyed by a mudslide, near Oso, Wash., two days earlier. The search for survivors grew to include scores of missing people. Joshua Trujillo/seattlepi.com/AP

Snohomish County residents listen to Washington Gov. Jay Inslee during a news conference outside of the Arlington Police Department on March 23, 2014, in Arlington, Wash. The giant mudslide occurred in Snohomish County. Jordan Stead/seattlepi.com/AP

Widespread damage is evident from a mudslide near Oso, Wash., which struck on Saturday morning, March 22. At least 14 people were killed in the 1-square-mile slide that hit in a rural area about 55 miles northeast of Seattle. Several people were critically injured, and about 30 homes were destroyed. Washington State Dept. of Transportation/AP

Rescue workers and a search dog head out on March 24 to hunt for missing people caught in a massive landslide along Highway 530 near Darrington, Wash. The confirmed death toll from the mudslide continues to climb, and scores of others were listed as missing two days after the tragedy, authorities said. Jason Redmond/Reuters

Oso, Wash., residents Freda Slack (l.) and husband, Pat (r.), evacuated but returned home after hearing of decreased flooding risk March 23, 2014. A huge mudslide had clogged the nearby river, causing water upstream to back up and threaten massive flooding. Jordan Stead/seattlepi.com/AP

Natalie Reed (r.) holds daughter Deja Reed, 5, during a March 24, 2014, prayer service at the Arlington United Church, for those affected by the Oso, Wash., mudslide. Genna Martin/The Herald/AP

A news person photographs a map showing the location of a March 22 mudslide, while waiting for the start of a news conference on March 24 in Arlington, Wash. Officials said they have 108 names on the list of the missing – a number that would grow to 176 in less than 24 hours. Elaine Thompson/AP

Volunteers turned out March 24, 2014, to help with the search for missing people in Oso, Wash. Dan Bates/The Herald/AP

Claire Logan (r.) carries supplies to help set up an evacuation center at Post Middle School in Arlington, Wash., to help those affected by the landslide on the north fork of the Stillaguamish River on March 22, 2014. Mark Harrison/ The Seattle Times/AP

A day after a gigantic mudslide occurred near Oso, Wash., a woman holds family photos pulled from the rubble at the site. Genna Martin /The Herald/AP

A helicopter flies low over the mudslide-affected area March 23, 2014, in Oso, Wash. Genna Martin/The Herald/AP

Residents watch from the Whitman Road bridge as debris comes down the Stillaguamish River east of Oso, Wash., March 23, 2014. Mark Mulligan/The Herald/AP

LoAnna Langton receives diapers from Amanda Davidson, who set up a Facebook fundraiser for victims of the slide, at the Community Center in Darrington, Wash., on March 24, 2014. Sofia Jaramillo/The Herald/AP

Donated clothes collect at a temporary Red Cross shelter set up at the Darrington Community Center, March 24, 2014, in Darrington, Wash. Sofia Jaramillo/The Herald/AP

Darrington High School students make posters in the wake of the mudslide on Highway 530 in Snohomish County, March 24, 2014. Joshua Trujillo/seattlepi.com/AP

Waters from the backed-up Stillaguamish River flow over structures on the Darrington side of the slide, March 23, 2014, in Oso, Wash. Genna Martin/The Herald/AP

As many as 176 people are still missing as search and rescue efforts continue in Washington, five days after a major mudslide. The unofficial death toll is 24. The most effective tool has been dogs and just our bare hands and shovels, says one official.

ByManuel Valdes and Phuong Le, Associated PressMarch 26, 2014

With search and cadaver dogs leading the way, rescuers using small bulldozers and their bare hands pushed through sludge strewn with splintered homes and twisted cars to find 10 more bodies in the debris of a Washington state mudslide, authorities said.